I really miss my friend! Have you ever had a friend? I mean a good friend. One you did everything with. The good things–things you are proud of? The stupid things–things you hope others never found out about? You know that friend! Imagine that suddenly that best friend is gone. You are initially in shock and DENIAL. No way, they can’t be gone. I just talked to them, and everything was fine. This is just a sick joke. Then you are ANGRY. “Why did you leave me?” “I thought we were best friends, and would always have each other’s back?” No matter what, we could count on each other. This is the stage where some would question that if there really was a God, and if He was a loving God, why would He take that best friend? Next comes the BARGAINING. What if you had been there more? Why not me instead of them? What if you I had gone to “xyz” event instead, maybe they would still be here? Fourth comes the DEPRESSION stage. You become sullen, and maybe cry more. You become withdrawn. You feel sadness, regret, fear, and uncertainty. You start to ask yourself, what does your future look like without your best friend? You may not be certain you even want to try? Finally, the light shines forth from the darkness, and there is ACCEPTANCE. This life is actually a finite time. Eventually we all must leave. That friend is gone. You accept that. You are still here. Why not make the most of it? You will always remember what you had and honor him by moving forward. After all that is what he would want. You begin to think you’ve learned enough from this that you will start to notice other potential friends, and develop relationships with them; not to replace the lost friend, but to enrich the finite time left. On July 4, 2014, I lost a good friend–my right leg just above the knee. We had been through so much together. Good and bad. I thank God that I did not ever do things to abuse him. Maybe I took him for granted, but I never abused him. I have gone through these five stages. The denial stage passed quickly. Anger was a bit easier because of my deep faith in God and knowledge that Jesus lived an earthly life to experience what we are going through to succor us in times of our need. I have spent lonely moments questioning and bargaining. What if I had let up on the throttle? What if I had just gone straight to shore? Then there are the quiet nights when I am awake, and cry. How I miss my friend! And then, I watch YouTube videos and read articles about prosthetic advancement, and I break through. I miss my friend. Nothing can replace him. I will honor him by daily walks, riding my Harley, snow skiing and maybe even jet skiing again (someday). And what’s more, I am fostering new relationships with old and new friends. I still have a long row to hoe, but I see the row, and feel up to the challenge. With a strong, supportive wife and family, great doctors, advances in technology, and the support of this great community, I may still cry from time to time, (because I miss my friend) but I will overcome. Until next time.
Posted on: Sat, 02 Aug 2014 14:07:57 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015